Waco fertilizer plant

Official cause of West Fertilizer disaster: 'undetermined'

(Newser) -
Investigators working in the remnants of an exploded Texas fertilizer plant sifted by hand through untold grains of corn, moved tons of debris, and conducted more than 400 interviews while searching for the missing piece to solve what many officials compared to an extraordinary puzzle. One month after a fire...
More »

Thieves stole gallons of anhydrous ammonia

(Newser) -
First we learned the exploded Texas fertilizer plant was lacking in basic fire safety protection, then that it didn't report several hundred tons of ammonium nitrate to Homeland Security. This week's revelation: West Fertilizer Co. was a repeat target of thieves stealing anhydrous ammonia and tampering with tank...
More »

'A god awful amount of ammonium nitrate'

(Newser) -
A lack of sprinklers and fire walls wasn't the only safety issue at the Texas fertilizer plant that exploded, killing at least 14 and injuring hundreds, on Wednesday: West Fertilizer had failed to report the 270 tons of ammonium nitrate it was storing to the Department of Homeland Security,...
More »

10 first responders believed to be among the dead: mayor

(Newser) -
Authorities are coming to grips with the extent of the devastation following a Wednesday night explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant . About 200 people were injured and 12 bodies have been recovered so far, the AP reports. That's far fewer than the nearly 40 victims Mayor Tommy Muska had...
More »

Governor Perry requests federal state of emergency

(Newser) -
News outlets are digging into the West Fertilizer plant's regulatory filings and finding that, in light of the explosion that may have killed as many as 15 people and injured about 160, the plant might have undersold the risks a tad. While the company did tell regulators it had...
More »

Locals evacuated amid concerns of another explosion

(Newser) -
At least five to 15 people have died in a fertilizer plant explosion near Waco, Texas, NBC News reports—and the toll could ultimately be in the dozens, notes the Dallas Morning News . The number of people injured has already passed 160 as patients grapple with "blast injuries, orthopedic...
More »

Devastating explosion hits West, Texas

(Newser) -
A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco tonight injured dozens of people, left the factory a smoldering ruin, and damaged buildings for blocks in every direction. The blast at the plant in West, a community north of Waco, happened shortly before 8pm and could be heard 45 miles...
More »